California War AU
by natatron
Summary: California and the rest of the states find themselves in the middle of a war! Note: While using the same OC, I will update my one shots regularly and this is a whole separate AU, so no war is happening in that story. Rated T for some bad language and blood.
1. Chapter 1

"Does everyone know their instructions?"

"What? What instructions?"

"Italy, I told you to pay attention. Japan and China, you get the West Coast. England and France will get the East. Russia and Canada will get the North. Mexico and

you, Italy, will get the South. Me and Austria will get the mid-west. Prussia and Hungary will look after prisoners. Got it?"

"Yes! Let's go~!"

"I wish you all luck, and remember, the states will be the way to take down America, once and for all."

* * *

Cali woke up early that day. Earlier than usual, anyway. She swung her legs around the bed, and got dressed.

As she put on her tank top, her scar stung, shifting slightly, and she hopes that it was only a minor tremor. The stabbing pain of an upset fault line only worried her further, to the point of wearing a sports bra rather than her usual clasp one.

She ate her cereal at the table quietly, and turned on the news. The news anchors were discussing recent assassinations in America. That got Cali's attention.

She turned up the volume in time to hear them say

"All three of those murdered were, in fact, governors. The states being Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama. Cause of death for all three were a bullet wound in various places"

Cali widened her eyes, shocked that someone killed all those officials,

"We are getting word now, that there was one more attempted attack on another governor, the governor of Florida. Fortunately, the Floridan governor was saved by a bystander, a young man who goes by the name of Jeremy Jones."

Cali chuckles at the cover-up of who the bystander really was, and turns off the news. She had a feeling, an instinct, that something was a little off. Then it occurred to her,

_This isn't some accident or random protest, this is an attack. _

Cali sprung into action, surprised at herself for the instincts that just surfaced, and carelessly tossing her half empty bowl in the sink and grabbing her pick.

She slung the strap over the shoulder, then put on a utility belt. She stuck assorted weapons and other tools in there, including her wooden whistle and her phone.

Sacramento sat by the front door, looking at her curiously. She patted him on the head, and put a pink collar around his neck. This means business, Sacramento could tell by her actions that something was going down. She opened the door for him, and he walked out.

He got on all fours, and bent down. Cali quickly climbed onto his back, and put her arms around his neck. She patted his side, and he sprung forward. She guided him through the empty streets to the governor's office.

* * *

"Jerry? Are you here? Are you okay? Did you see the news?"

Jerry set down the paper he was looking at and saw Cali is full combat gear. He folded his hands together and said,

"Yes Cali, I saw the news. It's fine, probably a protester. The gay rights activists are tired of the south, most likely. We won't have to worry about that up here. Cali, there's no need to worry. This kind of thing was happened before. It's not good, but it's nothing to fret about."

At that moment, there was a buzz on the small intercom in his office and Lizzie's crackly voice said,

"Mr. Brown, Mr. Japan is here."

"Good, send him in."

Japan walked into the office, smiling lightly.

_They don't suspect a thing. I'm just sorry California had to get in the way of all this. _

Cali tenses, then relaxes when she see the calm smile on Japan's face. She smiles herself and holds out a hand, a more formal greeting than usual, but she is feeling rather professional and serious right now.

He walks right past her outstretched hand, and over to the governor, pulling a slender knife out of his sleeve.

Before Cali can deflect the attack, or even realize what's going on, Japan has stabbed Jerry Brown in the back and blood is spurting out of his mouth. He slumps over onto his desk, and a small pool of blood is forming on the polished wood.

Cali screams bloody murder, which it actually was in this case, and runs out the door. She grabs Liz and pulls her outside,

"California! What is the meaning of this?"

Without properly responding, Cali shoves her into her car,

"Listen, drive away from here. Take a message to DC. We're under attack."

Liz zooms away, leaving California alone in the empty parking lot.

Cali takes a deep breath, preparing herself for the battle to come, and pulls the pick off her shoulder. She opens the door of the building, to find it empty.

She lowers the pick, and steps further inside. All she hears is a scuffling behind her, as the door is closed and a katana handle makes contact with the back of her skull.

* * *

Cali woke up in a dark, musty cell with iron bars for three of the walls, encasing her in, and a stone gray wall on the other. The stench of the place hits her full force when she lifts her head, and the gnawing of hunger in her stomach has never been more prevalent. She sits up slowly, and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looks down at her hand, it's a dirty, dark red. The iron taste it has proves that it's blood, where it came from is unknown, until she shifts her back. Then she knows that the San Andreas Fault Line scar has reopened, meaning a big earthquake is coming. Judging from the amount of blood she's sitting in, it'll be a big one. 6.5 maybe 7.

A pair of boots stomps down the hallway, and Cali looks up at the man who was piloting them. There's a triumphant smile on his face, and his red eyes glimmer with joy as he gazes at her,

"So, Goldie's finally awake. Took you long enough."

Cali snarls at him,

"You're not allowed to call me that."

Prussia runs a hand through his silver hair, smirking at her,

"Well, you might want to get used to it. I don't think you'll be out of here for a long time."

Cali looks down at her body to make sure that nothing else is cut, and notices something odd,

"Where are my clothes? Why am I in my underwear?"

Prussia shrugs, looking her up and down,

"I don't know, I thought you looked better that way."

Cali snarls at him again, and stands up cautiously, wary of the trail of blood she's leaving, and walks over to the bars. She can smell the stench of alcohol on him even from a few feet away.

_Of course he's drunk, he never would treat me like this otherwise._

She grabs onto the metal bars with both hands and Prussia tells her,

"Sorry to have to lock you up like this, sweet cheeks. If there's anything I could get you just let me know."

Cali tilts her head and says to him, matter-of-factually,

"Well, it appears as though these bars are faulty."

"What do you mean faulty?"

With a smug smile on her face, California bends the bars. She does it with little difficulty, and easily snaps a segment of bar right off. She hurls it at Prussia's head, and he has little time to duck.

He avoids one section, but the other one hits him square in the face. He's knocked off his feet, onto the cold ground, and there's a bright laugh from the end of the hall.

Cali's smile falls off her face as someone walks over to Prussia. She helps him onto his feet again, yet is still laughing her head off. Prussia huff indignantly, as Hungary brushes off his head.

"That's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. It's no surprise you're one of America's with that strength."

Cali cowers away from her, and backs into the wall,

"Aw, sweetie, what's wrong? I won't hurt you."

Cali starts shivering, stricken by the cold, and slumps down to the floor. She wraps her arms around her knees, and clenches her teeth together,

"Hold on, Prussia? Why does she have no clothes?"

Prussia looks away and says,

"I'm just making sure she's not hiding anything"

Hungary whacks him upside the head with her pan,

"I'm pretty sure she's not stowing any weapons in her bra."

Hungary walked away for a second, and then came back with a thick blanket. She unlocked the door, and walked over to Cali. She wrapped the blanket around herand notices the big bloody scratch running down her back,

"Prussia, what did you do to her?"

Cali shook her head, and coughed heavily before explaining,

"It's the San Andreas Fault. It's opened up again, I guess."

Hungary snapped her fingers at Prussia,

"Get me some bandages, now."

Prussia walked down the hallway in defeat, and brought back a bundle of white bandage. He handed it to Hungary, and she dressed the wound,

"You realize that she's our prisoner, right? We're not supposed to be pampering her. Plus, it's been forever since I've had someone captive! Can you believe Germany gave me a job? This is great!"

Cali closed her eyes and leaned up against the wall,

"Just tell me, who else do you have?"

Prussia laughed and wrapped his arm around Hungary's shoulder as he said,

"We just got this little girl. What was her name? She's adorable though. Japan nabbed her from the island thing."

Cali took a shaky breath,

"Where is she?"

Prussia looks down the hallway,

"I think they'll be bringing her here in a few days or maybe even a week. Why?"

Cali burrowed her head under the blanket, and fell silent. Hungary took a moment, then dragged Prussia down the hall, away from California.

* * *

On her third day there, Prussia dragged her into an interrogation room.

She sat there, eyes narrowed, hands tied behind her back, in a metal folding chair. Prussia sat across from her, his hands folded in front of him and his face lacking it's usual cocky smirk. He sighed and looked her directly in the eyes, ignoring the burning glare she was sending him, and said to her,

"All I need you to do is to tell me what you know. That's all. Then we can be done."

California only continued to glare at him and spat out one word,

"Never."

Prussia, who was getting sick of the girl, honestly,leaned forward. He jabbed her in the chest with one of his fingers, pushing her back in the chair,

"Well then you leave me no choice."

Prussia went over to a tray of tools, some rusty, others sharpened to the point of being surgical level, and picked up a long needle. He dipped it in what appeared to be citric acid or perhaps even poison, and walked back over to California,

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me anything?"

Cali clenched her eyes closed and said,

"I'm positive, you bastard"

* * *

The next week was torture. Cali barely got enough food, and the food she got was moist-yet-dry gruel. Her throat had never hurt so much, it didn't help that a drought was going on, and she desperately needed water.

Cali huddled in the corner of her cell. The burning in her flesh had yet to numb and the bright red scars on her arm were beginning to turn a shade of green that made her stomach turn. She cried quietly, hiding her face, trying not to show weakness.

She tried to sleep, but the guard standing by her cell swapped places with another one, and the new guard called out to her,

"Hey there pretty little thing, what got you here?"

Cali slowly raised her head, and she hissed at him,

"Cállate, hijo de puta."

The man chuckled, and said,

"I don't speak Spanish, missy. I thought you were American?"

Cali cleared her throat,

"This is what I said: shut up, you son of a bitch."

The guard pulled out his gun,

"If you continue to speak to me like that, I won't hesitate to discipline you."

Cali didn't say anything else, her throat was too dry. All she could do was lay on the floor again, and pull the blanket she got around her tightly, trying to fight off the cold as best as she could.

* * *

When Cali awoke again, it was because of the rattle of chains. Hawaii was in handcuffs, and when they shoved her in the cell next to Cali's, they removed them.

Cali crawled over to her, clutching the bandages, and calls out to her.

"Hawaii? Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"Cali?"

Hawaii walked to Cali, and knelt down.

"I'm fine. I think Japan couldn't bring himself to hurt me."

Cali grabbed her hand and held it to her own cheek. She kissed it gently,

"That's good. I'm not sure if I could spare you any bandages."

Hawaii clutched Cali cheek,

"Bandages?"

Cali sighed,

"You know those pesky earthquakes? They're acting up again."

Hawaii bit her lip. She has experience too with natural disasters. Sometimes, she'll go through a growth spurt and pools of lava with spill at her feet. It's not fun. The lava doesn't burn her, but it's difficult to do anything or go anywhere.

Cali starts to gently sob into Hawaii's hand, putting her forehead to the bars that separated them. Hawaii wipes her tears away,

"Cali, if we are gonna win this, we can't start crying now. Save your tears for once all this is over. They won't be so bitter and sad then."

Cali smiles through the tears,

"Oh little flower, I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because of how relived I am that you're safe. It's a great feeling, knowing that one you love is safe, even of you are trapped here with me."

Cali stuck her arms through the bars, and embraced Hawaii as tight as she could without hurting her. Hawaii buried her nose into Cali's hair and closed her eyes. Cali began to softly sing a quiet lullaby.

Hungary, who stood watching the two from a far, smiled at the cute sight. It was beautiful and heart breaking to see the two together. The song Cali was singing was in a language Hungary didn't know. It sounded rather tribal, and Hungary would bet that it was Hawaiian.

Cali held the small girl close to her and stopped singing. She whispered in her ear, quietly so nobody nearby could hear,

"We're getting out of here. Tomorrow, when we wake up, I can bring the whole building down."

Hawaii let out a small gasp, but caught herself and nodded.

"Get out as soon as possible. If you encounter anybody, don't play nice. Throw punches, bite them, spit in their eye, kick them in the crotch, anything to get away."

Hawaii nodded again. She asked in a hushed whisper,

"Where are we gonna go?"

Cali bit her lip and thought for a moment,

"If we can get to the ocean, I bet you we can get our hands on a good boat. With all of our experience on the water, I bet we can make it."

Hawaii leaned back, still holding her hand, and said in a normal voice,

"Goodnight Cali. I love you."

Cali blew a kiss to her sister, lacking the ability to actually kiss her cheek, and lied down. The floor was hard, and there was little to warm her except the blanket Hungary has given her.

She heard the sound of Hawaii shivering, teeth chattering, hands rubbing against each other, and Cali crawled over to the bars,

"Hawaii, here. Take this."

She stuck the blanket through, and Hawaii took if eagerly. She burrowed into the fabric, but stopped when she saw how little clothes Cali was wearing,

"Why don't you have any clothes?"

Cali let out a sigh and gripped her forehead,

"Because men are pigs. Take that sentence to heart. Don't let yourself be degraded to just your beautiful body because of the people you let control you."

"Cali, you're the pretty one."

"I suspect, that one day you're going to be the most beautiful person on the planet."

Hawaii smiled, and Cali laughed,

"You should've seen me back before the conquistadors. My hair was matted, my eyes wild, I wasn't much to look at. Of course it didn't matter to me then. Oh well, times change."

Cali shrugged, and lied down again,

"You should take the blanket. You're the one who needs it."

Hawaii pushes the blanket back through the bars, and Cali takes it in her hands, thinking for a moment,

"How about this."

She grabbed the blanket, and tore it in two. Two even pieces, each big enough to cover the two about halfway, which was better than nothing. Cali stuffed one half

back to her sister, and wrapped herself in her piece,

"That's better. Goodnight Cali."

"Goodnight flower."

* * *

A peek of sunlight shot into Cali's cell, disturbing her eyes. She lay there for a moment, not wanting to move, but the jarring clanging of metal on metal aggravated her to alertness. It was Prussia, banging on the bars of her cage with a steel rod, a bright grin on his face.

"Rise and shine, Goldie. I have some work for you."

Cali pushed herself up, so she was sitting with her legs crossed, and looked over at Hawaii. She was standing up, looking at California. They shared a look, and Hawaii smiled at her in a silent 'good luck'.

Cali closed her eyes and took a deep breath,

"I'm only doing this because of how nice the lady was. Get out. You have a 3 second head start."

She kept her eyes closed, and pressed her palms to the ground. Prussia snorted at her,

"What exactly are you going to do?"

When Cali opened her eyes again, they were burning orange, a far cry from the light blue they were moments ago. Prussia took a step back as Cali said in a demonic voice,

"Get out. Now."

She took a moment to gather her strength. She then lifted her hands and proceeded to slam them into the ground.

Immediately, giant cracks surfaced in the cement and spread out further into the building. Hawaii was on her feet, pulling at the bars, and they were beginning to bend.

California clutched her head as the ripping sensation in her back and mind began. She screamed a blood-curdling scream, all the pain was unbearable, especially one of this magnitude.

Prussia was knocked off his feet as he realized what she was doing. He crawled away, desperately calling out to Hungary for her to run.

Hawaii had made a nice sized hole in the bars at this time. She squeezed out, and began running. She flew past the few guards that tried to stop her, but she quickly got lost. The tremor had begun to take it's toll on the building they were in, the ceiling cracking, the floor bouncing about under her feet.

Eventually, Hawaii made it out. She had managed to pick up a few of Cali's things on the way, just her utility belt and shoes, but it was all she could get before it was too dangerous to stay inside any longer.

California sat in the epicenter of it all. She couldn't move, she could hardly breathe, and she was trapped. A bubble of sorts had manifested around the girl. She was safe there, for the time being. Nothing fell on her luckily, and the second she passed out, the earthquake stopped.

* * *

New York, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado all sat around a card table in New Mexico's underground missile bunker. York and Texas had gone to the West Coast to see if Cali was alright, and when they didn't find her they had to go into hiding with the other members of her family. No one was talking, there was nothing to say.

York twirled his titanium baseball bat in his hands,

"If only I had been there."

Texas grunted and looked up from the floor,

"Shut up, York. There's no point in thinking about it."

New Mexico drummed his fingers on the table,

"Well, we have to do something! Those assholes have California."

Arizona had his head on the table.

_I failed. I didn't protect her. The one time she was in actual danger, and I wasn't there. What kind of brother am I?_

Colorado patted Arizona on the back,

"It's okay Ari. Cali is tough, she'll be fine."

Arizona was close to tears, his reputation as calm and collected was shattering before him. Nevada went over to Arizona with Colorado and said,

"You're not fooling anyone with that, Ari. You can let it out."

Suddenly, the tears all leap out of his eyes and he's clinging to Nevada, sobbing hysterically. Texas and York are startled by the sudden display of emotion, but the attention is dragged away when Utah bursts in,

"They got Hawaii. They got her. Hawaii, little Hawaii."

He crumples to the floor,

"I got the call from DC a couple minutes ago."

Texas walks over to Utah, and picks him up off the floor, setting him down in a chair,

"Do we know where they're being kept?"

Utah shakes his head,

"She was last seen being carried off by Japan to a plane, so somewhere over seas."

York furrowed his eyebrows in thought,

"Well-"

He's cut off by the loud knock on the door of the bunker. York goes to see who's at the door. He looks in the peephole, and smiles when he sees who was behind the door. He opens it for them, and in shuffles Washington, limping badly, and Oregon who's trying to support her. He calls out,

"Got room for two more?"

New Mexico stands up and goes over to help Washington in with Oregon while everyone else says their hellos. Arizona takes out their first-aid kit and says to Washington,

"What happened?"

Washington rubs her bleeding and hurriedly bandaged calf and tells him,

"Damn katana. Japan almost got us, but we escaped into the woods."

Oregon, after getting Washington into a chair, looks around,

"Hey guys? Where's California?"

Utah, who was still sitting, answers him coldly,

"She wasn't so lucky. They got her and Hawaii."

Oregon is shocked, one of the strongest states was captured? It seems impossible. Arizona bites back another attack of tears at the mention of his sister, and continues to stitch up her leg. Washington says to the silent group,

"Well, are we gonna go get her?"

Colorado shrugs,

"If I knew where they're keeping her, I would already be there."

The group falls silent again, a common occurrence it seems, until the phone begins to ring. Texas picks it up,

"Hello? Hawaii! How did you escape? Where's Cali?"

Everyone is on their feet, except Washington of course, crowding around Texas. He puts her on speaker phone so the whole group can hear,

"She set off a giant earthquake to help me escape, but she's still stuck there. We're in Germany, I think."

Nevada is hugging New Mexico very tightly, both are relieved to hear that their sister is safe, but Arizona says to her,

"How are you gonna get here?"

"I don't know. I think I can get a boat and sail over, but a plane would be ideal."

York says incredulously,

"You are gonna sail across the Atlantic Ocean?!"

"I've done it before."

Utah nods,

"It's true, she and Cali used to sail all the time together."

"I think Cali's phone is about to die. I love you guys, and I'll see you in a little while. Are you at Mexy's bunker?"

"Yes, we're at my place. Go now, we love you."

The phone went dead, probably the battery running out. Washington said,

"So, Hawaii's out, but Cali's still there?"

Texas nodded,

"It's sounds like Cali sacrificed her own freedom so Hawaii could get out."

Arizona muttered under her breath,

"That girl, always putting everyone else first."

* * *

California awoke once again. Her days had blurred together. She wasn't sure if she had been in captivity for a week, two weeks, maybe even three.  
She was chained to the wall in a new location. Prussia had gotten an earful from Germany about watching over prisoners more securely so now she had her wrists and ankles shackled to her new cell, preventing her from doing much but lift her head. She didn't do that much though, the interrogation sessions had only grown worse and worse as she refused to spill any valuable information.

She had her precious blanket taken away, and she was still stripped to her undergarments, so she could only hang there, shivering, trying to get even an hour of sleep.

For a while, Cali thought. That was all she could do. Her throat was much to dry to produce any words, and she was ridiculously bored. She found a small refuge in her mind, it was rather pitiful,

_All I need is to know that my sacrifice was worth something. Hawaii needed to get home, it was only a matter of time before they began interrogating her as well.  
_

Cali groaned silently and cringed as she felt the searing pain shoot up once again in her legs, forearms, and back from the most recent sessions.

_Damn war. Pulling people out of their lives to kill others. I hate it. I hate every second of it. Not just because I'm the one who is captured, but all of it. I swear, if we get any prisoners, they will not be treated this way. They don't need to be reminded about the raging pain around them. _

Cali had caught snippets of conversation from Prussia about the war. They had bombed multiple places in the US, most of them with major cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. She could feel the deaths of the people in her land, their terror and pain bubbled up inside of her to the point of crying out for them to stop.

_Just stop. The humans being killed did nothing, except they chose to live in America. Of course it's all our fault._ _It's always America that and America this, but is there one time we messed up and we didn't own up to it? _

Hungary walked over to California carefully, and prodded a unwounded patch of skin to rouse her from her thoughts,

"I brought you water."

Cali lifted her head meekly, her neck was stiff, her joints flaming, but she let her mouth open and she registered the cool liquid being poured down her throat. The sweet relief only lasted for a few seconds before the water stopped and she swallowed.

Hungary leaned forward and said to her quietly,

"If it was up to me, you wouldn't be shackled like this, but it's out of my control."

Cali nodded, or at least tried to nod, and then slumped back over. The only thing keeping her up now were the chains around her limbs. She hung there like a rag doll as hopelessness and loathing seeped into her skin.

* * *

"We'll be live in 3,2,1"

The camera in front of Cali blinked with a red light, and Prussia was standing next to her. He was carrying an electric cattle prod, and a blank expression. He looked directly into the camera and said,

"Hello America. If you couldn't already tell, we have declared war on you. Who is we you ask?"

California coughed, loudly and gutturally, and said in a croaky voice,

"I didn't ask."

Prussia stabbed the sensitive skin on her sides and a jolt of electricity was sent through her body. Her muscles spazzed for a second or two before she got them back under control and fell limp once more.

Prussia went on for a few minutes, talking about how they have captured an assortment of states, all being held in separate locations, and how surrender is the best course of action for America. He reinforced his point every now and then by prodding her at random times, even when she had done nothing to provoke him.

Cali let her mind go barren, willing to pass out as to not have to face anymore pain or to look at the camera. A strong hand clamped around her jaw, and held her head up, forcing her to stare into the lens. She felt so broken, so beaten, she couldn't process any of the words he was saying now, until she realized that he was speaking in German.

_Of course he is, he's German after all._

She closed her eyes, and gave a gentle little smile. She wanted to show to the rest that she was still there, no matter how bloody, she was there and she would fight.

If she had the energy, she would've said something, but she slowly faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

It was a video from the enemy, and DC had sent it to everyone. As Arizona got the old, dusty television set up, the rest of the group debated on what it was.

"Well, I bet it's their surrender video, if anything."

Oregon rolled his eyes at his sister's input,

"Right, they surrendered and DC didn't tell us in the email he sent, brilliant."

Washington shrugged, and soon Arizona sat down between the two on the couch, remote in hand, and turned it on.

The video started up, and the image they saw was so horrid, so stomach-churning, so ghastly, the group all felt at a loss of words.

It was California, tortured and crushed, the only recognizable part of her was her hair, it's red tips faded but still there. There was the initial shock of seeing her dangling there by the chains, then the sinking feeling that she was dead. Somehow dead, even if it is impossible, they all felt like there was no life left in the poor girl.

When the man standing next to her spoke, reminding everyone what the point of the video was, his words were cutting and cruel,

"Hello America. If you couldn't already tell, we have declared war on you. Who is we you ask?"

Suddenly, California shifted. She coughed, hacking up a small amount of blood, and she said defiantly,

"I didn't ask."

New Mexico called out for her to stop, but it was pointless. The man had already stabbed her with that wretched cattle prod, sending her into a fit of spasms and causing her to fall lifeless once more.

They didn't bother to listen to the rest of the speech, Arizona had turned off the TV with his remote, and let it fall to the floor. The image of California in such a state was burned into the minds of the group. Colorado and Utah held each other, both silently sobbing into the others shirt, Nevada was opening up another bottle of whiskey, Arizona clutched the couch with both hands so firmly, the fabric began to rip. Washington and Oregon were just as mortified, Oregon even more so, and Texas was still staring at the blank screen, hoping that any second, it will turn back on to show the fake blood and movie magic that had caused California to look so gruesome, but nothing happened.

New York was the first to break the silence,

"She won't be the same if we don't get her out of there soon."

Texas stood and got his trusty hat and pistol,

"Then let's go get her."

* * *

I accidentally forgot an author's note, so here it is, sorry! Welcome to my second story! I hope you will enjoy this one just as much as you've enjoyed my main one! I won't be updating this one as often, only once a week or so, but I'll make a solid schedule eventually. Cut me some slack, writing is hard. So, see you next time, when ever that may be.


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't want to hurt you anymore. I just need you to tell me everything you know, and I won't have to. Please California, don't make me."

Cali lifted her head, her stringy hair covering part of her face,

"Then why am I here?"

Prussia sighed and put the knife back on the tray,

"If it were up to me, we wouldn't be fighting you at all. Word is that all the states have either gone into hiding, or kicked their enemies ass. No surprise there."

Cali raised an eyebrow quizzically, but didn't say anything,

"The states are strong, they've proved themselves. We need to go back to the way things were before all this madness."

"I still won't tell you anything."

A sly grin appeared on her face, and she said with an odd accent,

"You'll never get me secret recipe, plankton!"

Prussia sighed and lifted the knife,

"Then you give me no choice. Once again, sorry California."

* * *

"But America, you have to lend us a plane!"

"Colorado, I will not risk your lives on a rescue mission-"

"Did you even see the video of her?"

The phone went silent for a moment and Colorado knew he had said the right thing,

"If I could go myself, I would, but I'm needed here in DC."

"What about all those people being killed right as we speak? I heard that Virginia was invaded yesterday."

There was a pause as America bit his lip,

"Colorado, I will lend you a plane."

Colorado gave the anxious group a thumbs-up,

"Arizona can fly, right?"

Colorado asked Arizona, who nodded then told America,

"Yes he can! So, where's the plane?"

"There's a government base a little ways away from you guys, I'll call in a favor."

"You're the best! We'll have California home before you can say 'Eureka'!"

"I hope so, Colorado. Good luck."

He hung up the phone then smiled at everyone,

"Okay! America is gonna lend us a plane!"

Texas grinned widely,

"Those Germans won't know what hit them!"

York twirled his baseball bat,

"So it's me, dust brain, Arizona, and Colorado?"

Arizona nodded solemnly, re-stringing his bow firmly. Texas frowned a bit at the nickname, but shrugged it off in favor of tying his boots securely,

"Let's get going. I don't want her to spend one more minute in that place."

* * *

Hawaii was let into the bunker by a very relived Nevada. Utah engulfed her in a hug, followed shortly by New Mexico and Nevada. Oregon and Washington smiled at the cute sight of Utah cooing at the girl,

"Hawaii, oh my little sister, I missed you so much. I'm so glad you got out of there."

Hawaii was ragged from her long journey over. Apparently, she had stowed away in a boat on it's way to America, then took one of the lifeboats when they were close and rowed her way there. Her floral dress was covered in dirt and reeked of fish and salt water. Her smile was weak before she fell asleep in their arms. Utah carried her over to one of the cots and laid her down, kissing her forehead gently and tucking her in.

Nevada collapsed in one of the chairs, a goofy grin on his face. New Mexico sat next to him, then Utah sat down on Oregon's right side at the table,

"Hey New Mexico?"

"Yes Oregon?"

"Why do you even have this huge bunker in the first place?"

New Mexico grinned lightly and looked around at the gray walls,

"Well, they used to test nuclear weapons in my place during world war two, so I had this place built. Just in case, you know?"

"That makes a lot of sense actually.

* * *

"York, who was fed up with the silence in the plane, said to Arizona,

"Can you turn on some music or something?"

Turning a knob on the dashboard, a faint song began playing,

**I wish they all could be California girls-**

Arizona quickly changed the channel,

**Oh we're out there having fun, in that warm California sun-**

Arizona changed the station again,

**California dreaming-**

Arizona turned off the radio, tears threatening to make an appearance again. York tapped his fingers on his armrest,

"Okay, so no music."

* * *

The sound of alarms rang out through the prison.

Cali ignored them at first, but when she heard familiar voices she attempted to look up. Her neck cracked a few times before she was looking up at a face she had dearly missed,

"Ari..."

Arizona fought back tears. The poor slumped, half naked, figure was his sister and he couldn't help with any crying. He silently took a key from his pocket that he had taken from one of the guards and unlocked the cell. He was soon joined by a few others, Texas, New York, and Colorado were the ones who had come along too,

"Come on."

Arizona had gotten the door open, and Colorado went in with him to undo the chains that held her to the wall.

There was gunfire at them from one of the guards, so Texas picked up California bridal style and sprinted for the exit. She loosely clung to him, her weak arms incapable of much else, and coughed occasionally.

Guards swarmed around them, Arizona and York picking them off one by one. Arizona reached for another arrow, only to find his quiver empty. He turned and ran as fast as he could after Texas, who was still carrying Cali, with York close behind.

A stray bullet made it's way into California's left foot, causing the half conscious girl to shriek in pain. This sent the boys into a panic, Texas running even faster, York reloading his gun, Arizona cursing loudly in Cherokee, and Colorado shouting

"Just get the girl out of this hell hole!"

* * *

It was a long trip back to the states. It would've been ideal to stop at a hospital to get California professional medical attention, but only one of them knew how to speak any German, and the obvious American appearance and frantic attitude would've defiantly raised some suspicion.

The plane they had borrowed from America was a little bit crammed, but they suffered through it. It's not like they could complain while California had just been in a prison for the past couple of weeks and tortured to the brink of insanity.

It was virtually silent for the ten or so hours in that plane, Arizona piloting as best as he could. New York looks over his shoulder,

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"Yes I do."

"No, you don't. Look, the GPS says we're going North. We should be going West."

"I know what I'm doing."

New York persisted,

"No, you don't."

Texas crossed his arms,

"Why should we listen you you?"

"Because I can read a compass! Unlike some people."

"Shut your mouth right now."

"Oh yeah?"

New York clenched his fists,

"Make me."

Texas stood up,

"No! Keep flying the plane! Geez York, are you trying to get us to crash?"

"You act like I'm an idiot!"

"You are an idiot! With a capital 'I'!"

Arizona's face grew dark and he gripped the controls a little tighter,

"I have to agree with Texas."

"Stay out of this!"

Colorado, who had had quite enough of this squabble, spoke up,

"I don't think any of you have anything to complain about, honestly."

California, at that moment, stirred slightly, coughing vigorously in the process. The three states fell silent. Who could argue at a time like this?

New York sat back down, buckling his seat belt, unbuckling, and then re-buckling it nervously. Texas tapped his foot impatiently, biting his nails. Colorado stroked the side of California's face gently and her face relaxed at his touch. A wave of guilt hit Colorado as he looked down at her sleeping face. She had been through a world of pain and suffering while he didn't have a scratch on him.

_This is war, I can't expect there to be no losses. _

He looked at the dirty bandages adorning his sister.

_Still, why did it have to be her? She never did anything to anyone._

* * *

"Put her on the cot, quickly!"

"My god, is she breathing?"

"Her heart rate is much to weak for my tastes."

"Pass me the gauze."

"California? Can you hear me?"

Cali blinked her eyes, slowly adjusting to the light of the basement, and tried to sit up. Utah put a hand on her shoulder, not applying any force, but it was enough to keep her still. Hawaii was crying, burying her face in New Mexico's jacket, and sobbing openly,

"Hawaii, you're safe."

Hawaii scurried over to California,

"Yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine, but this is not the time to worry about me, you need to rest."

Cali lifted an arm, ignoring the shooting pains, and cupped Hawaii's cheek,

"I'll be better in no time."

With that, she dropped her hand, closed her eyes, and let the wave of sleep crash over her.

* * *

Nevada stirred the pineapple in the glass until it was perfectly mixed, and handed it off to Colorado,

"Your piña colada, Ma'am."

Cali smiled brightly, taking the cool drink from Colorado and taking a sip,

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Cali."

Colorado smiled and nodded politely, then walked away, leaving her alone in the small beach bungalow by the crashing waves. She could hear New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona in the distance, building some sort of sand creation with Hawaii, four of them laughing a careless laugh.

The sun was just starting to set, making the ocean sparkle and the sand glisten. She leaned back, feeling very comfortable in her bikini and silk cover-up.

_This is practically paradise._

She heard footsteps from down the beach, and turned her head to see who was running down the shore. Her heart fluttered as she realized it was Oregon, dressed only in swim shorts, his pale skin shimmering in the dying sun, a bright grin on his face,

"Cali!"

He made his way over to the hut, taking her hand and pulling her onto her feet. She smiled warmly at him.

_Okay, now it is paradise._

She leaned forward, just brushing his lips and then-

* * *

She blinked her eyes, trying to see straight, and she could barely make out two figures standing over her,

"She's waking up!"

Arizona stood up, walking over to the cot she was lying on, and cautiously took her hand,

"Cali? Can you hear me?"

New York and Texas took a step back as Cali took a shallow breath,

"I was having the greatest dream."

Arizona refused to start crying again, keeping a straight face, and Cali sighed,

"You can cry Ari. I bet I look bad."

She began coughing again, causing Colorado to rush over, clutching a canteen,

"I'm glad New Mexico's been stockpiling water. There isn't any clean sources for miles."

She sat up slightly, wincing as she felt the scars on her arm flare up, but the cool relief of water made it worth it,

"Thank you."

Colorado shushed her as she drank,

"Don't talk, you need to rest."

Cali handed him the canteen back, and lay back down carefully. She cast her gaze to the other side of the room, where everyone else was studying her intently. She saw Oregon lying down on a cot as well, his back facing her,

"Is Oregon..."

Colorado stroked her cheek,

"He's fine. You are the one that needs attention. Now, sleep. You aren't doing yourself any favors being awake."

Cali smiled meekly at him,

"Than-"

"Sleep. You can thank me later. Don't worry, you will heal quickly."

She closed her eyes, and drifted off again.

* * *

The scent of pine wafted gently through the air as Oregon hiked through the trees. Through the leaves, he could see a figure, sprinting through the canopy. He raced forward, trying to catch whoever it was. He passed a river, and his shoe got caught on a rock by the riverbed. Before he could fall, he was caught by two strong, elegant arms.

He looked up, and saw California's shining face. She giggled for a moment, and then set him on his feet,

"Glad I was here."

Oregon looked into her sparkling eyes, saw her beaming grin, and felt at ease. Nothing could go wrong as long as he was with her.

She took his hand and pulled him forward,

"C'mon! We're gonna miss it!"

"Miss what?"

She didn't respond, only kept leading him through the forest until they came to a cliff. She sat down, her legs dangling over the edge, and Oregon joined her,

"What are we waiting for?"

"Look!"

Oregon turned his head and looked out at the large valley in front of him. The view was incredible, a waterfall in the distance, lush greens, and a bright blue sky,

"Beautiful."

"That's not all."

As if she could control the weather, a vibrant rainbow suddenly was visible from the cliff. Cali sighed, letting her head drop onto his shoulder,

"I love it here."

She sighed as he wrapped an arm around her,

"I love you so much."

Oregon blushed lightly,

"And I love you. More than I could ever describe."

* * *

A loud, blood-curdling scream awoke Oregon from his dream. Apparently, trying to pull a bullet out of someones foot is a lot harder than it looks. They had to hold her down to the bed as Arizona tried to fish the bullet out with minimal damage. Even when beaten and bruised, California was still very strong, and it took both Texas and York to keep her down.

Hawaii covered her ears, squeezing her eyes, and facing away. Nevada frowned as he saw Hawaii do this, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he walked over and wrapped his arms around her, dropping to his knees. Hawaii hugged him back tightly, trying to ignore her sister's cries of pain as the bullet was ripped from her skin. Colorado stood by Arizona with a tray and an empty syringe of pain killers,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Utah was reading his Book of Mormon, trying to find comfort in the worn pages, but he couldn't drown his worries in scripture, as he usually did. New Mexico tapped his foot impatiently while Nevada shuffled the deck of cards again. Oregon was rebandaging Washington's foot, which had healed a lot since they had arrived.

Suddenly, the screeching stops and Arizona drops the bloody bullet onto the tray Colorado was carrying. Texas and New York lessen their grip on the girl as she closes her eyes again and falls asleep. Arizona says to Colorado,

"I don't want to hurt her."

Colorado put a hand on his shoulder,

"Do you want me to continue?"

Arizona nodded, standing up and shuffling over to the card table. Colorado picked up the first-aid kit and opened it, pulling out gauze, disinfectant, and medical tape. He tossed a needle and silk thread to Texas, who caught them with ease,

"Stitch up her back, will ya? I'd ask Ari, since he has the most practice, but he isn't up to it right now."

Texas's eyes went wide,

"Stitch her back? Just, sew it up?"

Nevada stood up,

"If it's that bad for you, I could do it."

New Mexico stood up as well,

"Yeah, I'll help."

Texas looked down at Cali, and then back to the needle,

"I can't sew, take it."

He gave the supplies to Nevada, who went over to the side of Cali's cot and carefully lifted her up, placing a gentle hand on the nape of her neck. While New Mexico held her up, Nevada closed the wound, weaving the thread with her skin, blocking out the soft cries of pain from California.

Arizona clenched his fists,

"Why did those bastards have to hurt her?"

Utah looked up from his book,

"The worst they did was give her some scraps on her arm, the Andreas and the bullet is what we need to worry about."

"They starved her. I doubt she got much water at all."

Utah closed his book and walked over to Arizona,

"This is war, nothing is going to be very pleasant or fair."

Arizona stayed silent, looking down at the floor as Utah continued,

"Do you remember when you were really little? It was 1914, just a few years after you became a state, and it was the first time Mother's Day was an official holiday."

Arizona looked up at him, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion,

"Well, what happened was, me and Colorado stopped by to give California some flowers, seeing as it was Mother's Day. When we walked inside, there you were, sitting with New Mexico and California at a small table, a bright smile on your face as you handed her a piece of orange and called it a cake. She had a flower crown on her head, apparently you had made it for her, and she accepted the orange as though it _was_ a cake."

Arizona's face softened,

"That's right, you were having a tea party with her. It was adorable, really."

York was about to laugh, but Texas placed a hand on his shoulder roughly and shook his head. Arizona turned red,

"I was only 6 back then."

Utah smiled weakly at him,

"I didn't mention that to embarrass you, I just want you to focus on the good instead of the bad. Can you do that?"

Arizona nodded and looked away again. Utah sighed and Colorado said,

"How did you remember all that, Utah?"

Utah lifted his Book of Mormon,

"I keep all those stories in here. Haven't you ever wondered why I read it so much?"

"I thought you were just really religious."

Utah turned to York, a smile on his face,

"It would appear that way, huh?"

* * *

Cali awoke with a start. The room was dark and silent except for the weak sounds of breathing from the sleeping states. She felt stronger, her head clearer, her foot calm, and thought about trying to stand up. After a moment of contemplation, she saw Colorado at the end of the bed, leaning completely over the bed, his eyes shut and his hair ruffled.

Cali smiled to herself.

_Sweet boy, stitching me up. I should get him into bed._

Cali gingerly swung her legs around, taking care not to touch the healing wound, and testing putting weight on it. Surprisingly, she only felt a dull throbbing as blood rushed to the limb, and she pushed herself up so she was standing up completely.

Shuffling over to Colorado's sleeping form, she pulled him upward with little difficulty to her relief, and tucked him into the bed she was laying on. Smiling contently, Cali used the furniture to support herself as she found an empty cot, lay down, and drifted off once more.

* * *

"Colorado? What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean-where's Cali?"

Utah froze, his eyes wide, and carefully turned around. Thankfully, he saw California, lying on another cot, sleeping peacefully,

"Okay, what happened?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

Colorado stood up, and Utah bit his lip,

"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask her when she wakes up."

Arizona cleared his throat and walked into the room from the small kitchen. Utah frowned,

"I didn't hear you wake up."

"I didn't sleep."

Colorado sighed,

"You should sleep, it's not healthy to go so long without it."

Arizona sat at the card table, hunched over his plate of toast, the dark circles under his eyes prominent on his dark skin. New Mexico yawned and sat up,

"What time is it?"

Utah looked down at his watch,

"It's almost 7, why?"

New Mexico leaped out of bed, scrambling for the wall phone. Colorado laughed,

"What's the rush? Gotta hot date?"

New Mexico dialed the number,

"I promised South Dakota I would call, to give her an update on everything, you know."

"What's this with South Dakota?"

Everyone's head turned to Cali, who had sat up and was smiling meagerly. Arizona stood, striding over to her,

"Cali, lie down."

"Why should I? If I can haul myself out of bed and tuck in Denny, then I see no reason I shouldn't sit up."

Arizona turned to Colorado, eyes burning,

"She tucked you in?"

Cali put a hand on his shoulder,

"He was asleep, Ari."

Texas stretched his arms,

"Cali! You're up! How ya feeling?"

Cali flexed her arms mockingly,

"Better than ever, Tex. Let's go kick some European ass."

Oregon sat up, waking up Washington in the process and smiled,

"Thank god, I was getting worried about you, Cali."

Cali's eyes lit up and she waved him over. Oregon walked over cautiously and Cali grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him into a kiss. Oregon felt his face burn with all the eyes on him and Cali. He tried to pull back, but she kept him in place, refusing to let go.

Texas laughed,

"I think we're gonna need a sedation for Arizona before he murders Oregon."

Arizona glared at him as Cali broke the kiss,

"Sorry, I thought I was never gonna be able to do that again."

Oregon sat down next to her and Cali put her head on his shoulder,

"I feel much better now."

* * *

With constant updates coming from America, California slowly got better and better. She returned to a healthy weight, her wounds all closed, and she stopped getting random pains in her arms.

She was on the phone with America,

"Sorry to scare you like that, Al. Yes, I'm fine."

America sighed, running a hand through his hair,

"I'm going to kick Prussia's ass."

"Get in line."

America smiled,

"That's my girl. Now, I have to go, can't be on the phone too long. I love you."

"I love you too, now go! The East needs you!"

**China and Japan had multiple forts and base camps all along the West coast, and even more on Hawaii. Russia and Canada didn't have too much luck in the North capturing the states, but had defeated a good portion of the American forces and were closing in. England and France had little difficulty capturing Maine, but the rest of the East went all 'Revolutionary War' on them with the canons and everything. Italy and Mexico had made little to no progress, both of them rather terrified of both Alabama and Texas. Germany and Austria had a very secure defense for the Mid-West states to fight against, Austria surprising everyone when he captured Nebraska and Illinois.**

Cali put the date in the corner of the journal entry and put the notebook on the table. Washington was just beginning to walk again, probably feeling guilty that she was only shot and still hadn't walked when Cali was a prisoner of war for a few weeks and was already taking care of everyone.

New York had left a few days ago, going out to help his brothers and sisters on the East Coast, and Cali felt bad that everyone else was staying inside with her just because she was hurt. She looked around the room, seeing her brothers all playing poker at the table, Texas polishing his pistol, Oregon and Washington talking quietly while eating apples, and stood up. She bent her knees a little to test them, and then took a step forward towards the table,

"Guys, we've been inside too long."

Nevada didn't even look up from his cards,

"Cali, you need to rest."

"No I don't! I'm perfectly fine and I feel like we should be fighting! Our friends are in danger and we all sit here doing nothing!"

Texas put down his gun,

"Keep talking."

"I just need to go back home. I have a lot of food and supplies there and I-I just want to find Sacramento."

Oregon stood,

"I'm with you."

Washington stood too,

"Fine, I'll go."

One by one, everyone in the room stood up and agreed with her, until only Arizona was the only one sitting,

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure, but I'm going to need you by my side if this is going to work."

Arizona smiled a faint smile and stood,

"How could I possibly say no to that?"

* * *

This took a lot longer than it should've, I am so sorry! I wanted to write a lot of words, but I figured you guys wanted an update more than anything. By the way, this story is an AU, but I suggest reading my main story so it all makes sense. Thank you for reading! Please review, and, hopefully, I'll see you soon!


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